| Time of Demons |
|---|
| Location: Shadowlands |
| Date: 1166-1169 |
| Major Forces: Demons, Daigotsu's human followers |
| Generals: Hakai, Kyoso no Oni Daigotsu |
| Battles of Rokugan |
The Time of Demons was a civil war that erupted in the Shadowlands between the demonic inhabitants of that Tainted realm and the human followers of Daigotsu, the Dark Lord, known as the Lost.
Iuchiban's Legacy[]
The Onisu, demons created by Daigotsu from the dreams of the samurai of the Great Clans that embodied their greatest fears and each Clan's most hated stereotypes, did not participate in the war between Daigotsu and Iuchiban for the control of the Shadowlands that began in 1165. Hakai , the Onisu of Death, believed that the Onisu had nothing by choosing a side to gain until a clear winner of the contest presented himself. [1]
Civil War Begins[]
The Onisu had betrayed Daigotsu, but Kyofu, the Onisu of Fear, turned against the Tsuno, and refused to aid Iuchiban in securing rule over the Shadowlands. After the death of the Heartless in 1166, they claimed that the time of demons serving mortals was at an end, following the Oni known as The Maw's example, and proceeded to ally with the Oni Akuma no Oni to reach its goal. A subtle civil war in the Shadowlands between the humans of the Lost and demonic beings allied with the Oni Lords began. [2] The Oni Lords were enraged because they believed Daigtosu would lead the Lost to seek redemption. Fu Leng himself stood neutral, allowing his servants to prove the righteousness of their cause in the true manner of the Shadowlands -- victory over their foes. [3]
Hunting the Lost[]
The Dark Lord was a human, as were the Lost, Tainted former samurai who remained followers of Bushido. The demons had no respect for any mortals and often hunted and murdered the Lost in ambushes and attacks [4] just as they did with the untainted humans of the Empire. The Lost increasingly felt terrorized by the demonic threat and sometime even aided the Rokugani against the demons of Jigoku. [5]
Sacrifice of Shokansuru[]
In 1167 Shokansuru sacrificed his spirit to cause a small fracture in the stone where the skull of The Maw hung, that at the time hung as a monument on the gates of Kyuden Hida. This monument was the seal preventing the Maw from returning. With his sacrifice, the Maw returned to the Shadowlands to spearhead the growing movement of dissatisfied Oni. [6]
Kyoso no Oni[]
Kyoso no Oni, which had been banished to Jigoku by Daigotsu [7] had returned to the Mortal Realm. Reports from Hiruma Scouts have been identified spawns of Kyoso in several attacks. [8] Kyoso no Oni had seen weakness in Daigotsu after his City of the Lost was ruined, [9] and attacked Shahai to remove a supporter of her enemy, but Daigotsu arrived on time and she was saved. [10]
Choosing side[]
The goblin joined the ranks of the beasts, attacking the Lost under the Oni Lord command, [11] but Omoni and his creations followed the Dark Lord. [12] The Ashura saw the beasts as enemies and gathered under Daigotsu's command [13] who already had the Ogre at his side. [14] Daigotsu reborn the corpse of Moto Tsume and the Akutenshi fought in his side. [15]
Daigotsu's Emissary[]
After the struggle with Iuchiban, Daigotsu's ranks had been greatly diminished, and he could not stop the slaughter of his followers. In 1167 the Dark Lord made a unexpected move, sending a Shadowlands ambassador to the Empire, Daigotsu Soetsu. In an audience with Kisada, the Fortune of Persistence returned to life, Soetsu requested Crab military support, the Damned, to aid them in the civil war. Later he was moved to the Imperial City and met the Emperor Toturi III. The Lost offered peace, and to explain that Fu Leng had been destined to create a clan of his own, as did each of the other Kami. [16] Kisada established Koten as the meeting place for the repeated meetings with the Lost. [17]
Daigotsu True Agenda[]
The Dark Lord had sent Kokujin, the Prophet of the Dark Lotus, to gather the weak-minded in the Empire and spread peasant revolts. Daigotsu expected that by the time the demons that stood against him were well and truly destroyed, Kokujin and his adherents would have torn Rokugan's spirit apart with their lies and misdirection. After the tide of destruction that he would unleash, the Dark Lord would stand over Rokugan's corpse. [18]
Lost Ambassador at Court[]
At Imperial Court in Toshi Ranbo, Daigotsu Soetsu was brought to court by Kisada to approach Toturi III. Soetsu put forth Daigotsu's demand to form a Great Clan from his followers in the City of the Lost to fulfill ultimate destiny of Fu Leng: to be just like his brothers and sisters and have a clan of his own. He also claimed that Fu Leng's centuries of aggression towards Rokugan was the result of brainwashing by the forces of Jigoku, and that the honor of Daigotsu was beginning to overcome that and would allow the Empire and the Lost to co-exist as peacefully as any of the other clans. [19] Soetsu was made a guest of the Scorpion Clan, and the Emperor retired to his private chambers, to meditate upon the mysteries of Enlightenment and cast a final judgment over Soetsu's petition. [20]
Open War[]
The northernmost regions of the Shadowlands were in upheaval. The beasts that dwelled there had been driven into a maddened rampage by forces unknown. They destroyed everything in their path save on another, and were marching south to the City of the Lost. Even the Nezumi in that region had abandoned their homes and fled. The armies of demons faced the hopelessly outnumbered Lost in battle in its journey. [21]
Akuma bounded to Daigotsu[]
Chuda Mishime research on Shokansuru's scrolls revealed a second gate to Jigoku in the Forgotten Tomb of Fu Leng. Daigotsu came there and drug Akuma no Oni's soul in its entirety into the mortal realm, nothing of it remained in Jigoku. Akuma was threatened by the Dark Lord, if the Oni Lord died it could never pass to Jigoku. Daigotsu had made Akuma mortal, and in this way bounded it to his will. [18]
Wall of Bones[]
The Maw's armies pressed deep into Daigotsu's territory, but were finally held at the Wall of Bones. [22] The demons tore at the Wall of Bones, but the Chuda's magic held it together. [23]
To Defend the Emperor[]
In 1168 the Imperial Court knew the Emperor was in danger, journeying alone in the Shadowlands. The Empress Toturi Kurako exposed that the emperor had left disguised the palace months ago, seeking enlightenment. Asahina Sekawa guessed Naseru was seeking the Tomb of the Seven Thunders. The Emerald Champion Yasuki Hachi began to assembly a scouting party to find the Emperor with samurai from all clans. [24] The Kolat subtly intervened through Yasuki Jinn-Kuen, Master Coin. He joined the party and opened the jade stockpiles of the kolat to support a long army entering the Shadowlands. [25]
The Demons tracked the Emperor[]
Naseru was seen by the ogre Moshangoru, who told it to Kyoso no Oni, and that the Emperor was seeking the Tomb of the Seven Thunders. Shortly after Daigotsu Rekai ambushed the ogre, and he was forced to tell her the location of the Tomb, which Moshangoru did not tell to Kyoso. [26]
Battle of the Tomb[]
Kyoso no Oni sent a horde of oni against the Tomb. The rescue party of the Rokugani was already with the Emperor, but their numbers were too small and prepared to make their last stand. A Lost army appeared led by Daigotsu Rekai and Moto Tsume, charging the Oni. The Clans joined them, but Naseru knew they would not escape with life. [27]
The Maw versus Akuma[]
During the Battle of the Tomb the Maw entered the battlefield prepared to destroy the opposing armies, but another Oni Lord arrived from the same direction than the Lost. Akuma no Oni had been sent by Daigotsu to confront its brethren. Akuma attacked the Maw in a legendary fight [28] where the Maw was killed. [29]
Toturi III's Death[]
Without time to escape the Emperor decided to sacrifice himself to buy the time needed for the rest to take the Artifacts of the Tomb of the Seven Thunders back to the Empire. [27] Naseru died outside the Tomb in the Shadowlands when he used the Porcelain Mask of Fu Leng to melt all the dead human corpses and the Shadowlands creatures. [28]
Aikune's Last Stand[]
Shiba Aikune alongside Mirumoto Rosanjin and Yoritomo Katoa made their last stand defending the Rokugani forces retreating from the Battle of the Tomb, and confronted the oni which were pursuing them. He had ordered the Isawa's Last Wish to flee, and he did not unleash his power to do not risk the Wish to be tainted. After Aikune died the Wish provoked a great explosion that destroy all around Aikune's resting place. [28]
Consequences[]
An important part of the Kyoso's army was destroyed by the power of the Wish, and his power was reduced. [29] Naseru had left a vacant throne which fuelled the Khan's ambition. [30] Daigotsu petition for a Great Clan had no Emperor to be edicted or dismissed, so the Dark Lord founded a Clan through his own will, the Spider Clan. [31]
Attacking the City of the Lost[]
The Oni Lords sent a oni horde led by Munemitsu no Oni against the City of the Lost, and they reached the Temple of the Ninth Kami, where the Daigotsu's son, Kanpeki, was being born. The defenders were able to defeat them. [32]
Kyofu's Last March[]
The Damned[]
Kyofu returned to the Crab, asking to be given command of the Damned so that he could lead a force against the oni. Kyofu's will had been subdued by the soul of Hida Kuroda, and no longer looked like the Onisu of Fear. After his intentions were verified by Omen, Hida Kuon gave permission for the assault. [33] Hida Otoya had been sent as advisor shortly after he joined the Hida family and the Damned had become a large, single unit, trained for a specific engagement. [34]
Kyofu's Death[]
In 1169 Kyofu's forces encountered Kyoso no Oni and her army already fighting the Lost in the Battle at the Wall of Bones. The battle ended in a Crab victory, although Kyoso was able to escape after killing Kyofu. After Kyoso's retreat the Crab turned to attack the Lost but the Lost had vanished. The Crab attacked the City of the Lost but found it abandoned, [35] not knowing that the Spider Clan now made their home in the Shinomen Mori, in the Shadowlands Marshes of Shinomen. [36]
Aftermath[]
Daigotsu removed all his forces from the Shadowlands, infiltrating them in the Empire. It was not because the demon's pressure, but the warning of a gaijin force of a power never seen that would hit the Shadowlands. The Lost became the backbone of Daigotsu's forces and the demons were used as tools necessary for a greater purpose. It eventually led in the founding of the Spider Clan. [36]
References
- ↑ A Moment of Regret, by Shawn Carman and Rich Wulf
- ↑ Finding the Balance, by Shawn Carman
- ↑ Shadowlands Clan Deck (Path of Hope)
- ↑ Despair, by Shawn Carman
- ↑ Hiruma Tama (Code of Bushido flavor)
- ↑ Dawn of the Lotus, The Shadowlands, by Shawn Carman
- ↑ Returned to the Pit (A Perfect Cut flavor)
- ↑ News of Rokugan (Imperial Herald v2#18)
- ↑ From Every Side (Lotus flavor)
- ↑ Fury of the Dark Lord (Lotus flavor)
- ↑ Zeth (Lotus flavor)
- ↑ Skub (Lotus flavor)
- ↑ Ashura (Lotus flavor)
- ↑ Ogre Warriors (Lotus flavor)
- ↑ Akutenshi's Tribute (Path of Hope flavor)
- ↑ Blackened Claws, by Shawn Carman and Rich Wulf
- ↑ Dawn of the Lotus, The Nezumi, by Shawn Carman
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Gathering Darkness, by Shawn Carman
- ↑ The Test of Enlightenment, Part 1 (GenCon SoCal 2005), by Shawn Carman
- ↑ The Test of Enlightenment, Part 2 (GenCon SoCal 2005), by Shawn Carman
- ↑ Dawn of the Lotus, The Crab Clan, by Shawn Carman
- ↑ Daigotsu Kaikou (Drums of War flavor)
- ↑ Gates of Jigoku (Drums of War flavor)
- ↑ To Defend the Emperor, Part 1, by Shawn Carman
- ↑ To Defend the Emperor, Part 2, by Shawn Carman
- ↑ To Defend the Emperor, Part 3, by Shawn Carman
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 The Battle at the Tomb, Part 3, by Shawn Carman
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 The Battle at the Tomb, Part 4, by Shawn Carman and Nancy Sauer
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 A Container of Sand, by Rusty Priske
- ↑ Khan's Defiance Storyline Preview (Imperial Herald v2#20), by Shawn Carman and Rusty Priske
- ↑ Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition, p. 77
- ↑ Souls of Steel, Part Two, by Brian Yoon
- ↑ Souls of Steel, Part 2, by Brian Yoon
- ↑ The Gift of the Shogun, by Shawn Carman
- ↑ Oaths, by Shawn Carman and Rusty Priske
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 Dawn of the Spider (Imperial Herald v2#21),
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